English Gossip

Christmas Short Story

2010-12-26T19:22:00.001+09:00

Here is a lovely Christmas story talking about a husband and wife give each other the most special Christmas gift of all.

Short Story: 'The Gift of the Magi' by O. Henry
Recording: MP3.

小時候好像聼過這個故事。
窮光蛋的老公老婆各自賣掉自己最值錢的東西，一心想為對方準備一份最有價值的聖誕禮物~

這篇用字不難的英文，簡單卻清楚地描寫出主人翁夫婦為對方著想的心情。朗讀的低沈男聲也很有魅力。不知不覺地給它連聽了3次 (o^^o)

今天學的句子：
Do not make any mistake about me.
（不要誤會我。）

Habits of happiness

2010-09-22T01:31:00.001+09:00

Let's find the happiness in our daily lives.
Are you waiting for somebody to appear or something to happen?
Instead of expecting somebody to present you with a bunch of flowers, why not grow some roses in your own garden?

What kind of seeds have you planted in your garden?
Have you planted the seeds of bliss?
Have you planted the seeds of appriciation?
Or are you still holding plenty of different seeds and standing in your empty garden?

The seeds will need to be planted by ourselves.
Let's grow the habits of happines in our gardens, in our hearts.

Evita - Another Suitcase in Another Hall

2010-09-19T20:18:00.002+09:00

[Eva:]
I don't expect my love affairs to last for long
Never fool myself that my dreams will come true
Being used to trouble I anticipate it
But all the same I hate it, wouldn't you?
************************
[Eva:] So what happens now?
[Che:] Another suitcase in another hall
[Eva:] So what happens now?
[Che:] Take your picture off another wall
[Eva:] Where am I going to?
[Che:] You'll get by, you always have before
[Eva:] Where am I going to?
************************

Time and time again I've said that I don't care
That I'm immune to gloom, that I'm hard through and through
But every time it matters all my words desert me
So anyone can hurt me, and they do
************************

Call in three months time and I'll be fine, I know
Well maybe not that fine, but I'll survive anyhow
I won't recall the names and places of each sad occasion
But that's no consolation here and now.
************************

[Huevo:]
Don't ask anymore.

Somewhere out there

2010-09-11T02:07:00.008+09:00

,out where dreams come true...

Honorific speech in Japanese

2010-06-20T02:03:00.007+09:00

This is an entry I posted on an old blog 2 years ago. Today Lang8's friend helped me to make corrections on this entry, so I would like to publish it again.

Link source: 就職に役立つ豆知識

I am not able to correctly use Japanese honorifics. I didn't think it would give me that much trouble as long as I could express myself clearly in plain Japanese. At least until the day I lost my wallet on the subway.

It was a usual night. After a long day at work, my body was exhausted but my mind was still racing. On my way home on the subway, all kinds of thoughts ran through my mind. The last time I remembered having my wallet was when I sat down on the train. I know I was holding it firmly in my hand. I was suddenly awakened from my reverie: the wallet was not with me anymore and I could not leave my home station because my commuter pass was inside the wallet, which I needed to get through the turnstile.

What a terrible situation on such a cold night! I needed to explain everything clearly in Japanese to the station staff so they could help me find the wallet. After several minutes, I confirmed that my wallet was not on the train anymore, and must have been picked up by somebody. I was pretty upset and eager to tell the station staff that all my cards and cash were inside the wallet. It was kind of a surprise to me that one of the station staff got impatient and yelled at me that they couldn't help my find my missing wallet.

This is unusual for Japan. A rude staff member at a train station?!

The next day, I complained about the bad service of the station staff to one of my colleagues. The colleague went with me to the police station and bank to tell them about the missing wallet and credit cards. After finishing all the annoying procedures, my colleague said,

"ChuChi, I think I know why the station staff was being impolite to you." "It must be a problem with your Japanese!”

“What?" I asked angrily, “I lost my wallet and was pretty upset! Do Japanese people expect a foreigner to speak perfect Japanese in that kind of situation?”

My colleague explained, “Well, ChuChi, if you could not speak Japanese at all, or if you spoke poor Japanese, it might not have been a problem. However, you speak correct Japanese but don't use the right nuance. When I heard you talk to the bank staff, I realized that your Japanese makes you sound like a big shot. Didn’t you notice that the bank lady kept asking you questions by using honorific forms? If you don't reply with the corresponding honorific forms, it sounds like you're looking down on her. It's common courtesy when talking to a stranger, especially to a person who is providing a service to you.” said my colleague.

What a shock! After working in Japan for 6 years, it was the first time I realized that my Japanese could get me into trouble. Although there are many things I have left to accomplish, I have one more to add : “Practice Japanese honorifics."

You've got a friend, Lang-8.

2010-06-10T01:21:00.011+09:00

There was a great English old song, "You've got a friend".　　I love this sentence the best:

"Winter, spring, summer or fall, all you have to do is call. I will be there, yeah, yeah, yeah. You've got a friend!"

Lang-8 is such a friend! It is a wonderful experience to meet people in Lang-8. You may not know exactly who the people are, or where they live or what they are doing. However, as long as you "make a call" by posting an entry, the friends will soon be there to visit you. Some of them may leave comments or make corrections to your entry, some may not.

You've got a friend via Lang-8!

I love bagels

2010-06-01T00:56:00.006+09:00

I have been working in a software company for 8 years. 3 months ago, I finally had a chance to visit our company’s US office for a global meeting. Although I had studied in the US for 3 years, that was more than 10 years ago. I was quite nervous to be back in the US, as I no longer have confidence in my English skill after living in Japan for so many years.

Fortunately, the hotel was just a 3-minute walk away from the office. I felt lucky that I did not need a car; otherwise it would have been a big challenge for me to drive alone from the airport to the hotel. The trip was pretty smooth. The flight was on time, and the driver, holding a placard with my name on it, was waiting for me in the arrival area. The driver dropped me at the front door of the hotel, and I had no problems checking into my room. One of my US colleagues took me to dinner and brought me back to the hotel. Everything on the first day seemed to work out perfectly fine. It was only around midnight that I started to remember something...

I was working in the hotel room to prepare materials for the Tomorrow’s meeting. Suddenly, I had a strange feeling. I realized I had forgotten something very important. Because my US colleagues took care of my pick-up and meals, I did not yet have a chance to spend any money. It means I had no 1 dollar bills on hand! I did prepare some 5’s and 10’s to tip the driver and waitstaff but no 1’s. I thought I would have had a chance to get some 1’s when buying my dinner. It was already 2 o’clock in the morning. Where could I get some 1’s for room service? I ran to the reception desk to ask for change, but the hotel did not provide this kind of service. I felt terrible that I forgot such a simple but important thing!

At 5:50AM, I woke up and decided to go find a gas station. If I remember correctly, gas stations are usually combined with small snack shops. I should be able to buy some chocolate or cookies to getting change. Fortunately, I found a gas station easily right across the street. Next to the gas station, there was another little store that just turned its lights on. So early in the morning! I wondered what the store was. I got close to the store and tried to read its sign: “New York Bagel”. Oh! My goodness! It was my favorite “New York Bagel”! I almost forgot how much I loved it when studying in the US 15 years ago. In such a stressful morning, the “New York Bagel” store was just like an old friend suddenly appearing in front of me.

"Heavy Onion with smoked salmon cream cheese, toasted, and hot coffee please!" It was no problem at all for me to complete the order in the bagel shop. I got my desired 1 dollar bill and of course, my favorite bagel breakfast! For the rest of the 3 day business trip, every morning at 6:00AM, I was the first customer to arrive at that bagel store. I was there to get my lovely breakfast and energy to face the day. It reminded me of my college days.

I love bagels!

Father and me

2010-05-26T01:36:00.008+09:00

My father was a mathematics professor at a university. I was a programmer in software engineering. Both my father and I graduated from science schools. My father majored in mathematics and I majored in computer science.

I used to envy my father. I thought he made a very good choice, selecting mathematics as his professional field. Mathematics is something always true and does not change much. I complained to my father, "Everything you learned in school about mathematics is still useful even after you have been working as a professor for 30 years. Everything I learned in school about computers has already changed, and keeps changing every day. I feel so tired of keeping up with the newest technology.

My father smiled as usual and said, "Well, I do not understand such computer stuff at all. However, I am proud of my daughter working in the most challenging field nowadays, and I believe you are the best of all."

It occurred to me then that my father's greatest skill is as a teacher, not as a mathematician. He certainly knows how to make an upset student feel comfortable and confident.